Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the virus, calling it a “little flu” and arguing that Brazilians were well-suited for it because they could be dunked in sewage and “don’t catch a thing”.

The president has also frequently defied social distancing guidelines from his own administration and opposed lockdowns initiated by governors of states, accusing them of exploiting the pandemic for political gain.

By Monday, Brazil with a population of more than 200 million, had reported the most Covid-19 cases in Latin America with 38 654 infections and 2 462 deaths.

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